«10»: Our most anticipated performances of Roadburn 2025 - Part A’

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The festival that beats in a large portion of Rocking.gr's heart is returning this year in April. Our team will be there this year as well, and of course we couldn't help but start preparing for our trip with the necessary presentation of the performances of each day that we won't miss. You can see the detailed line-up of the festival here, as well as our experiences from last year for the first two and the last two days. In Tilburg, the Netherlands, every year the underground sound of the music we love is celebrated in an impressive environment.

This year and for the first time, Roadburn Festival is initiating an exclusive set of shows that has never been done before in a festival. The formidable and awe-inspiring Lane Shi, who had already stolen the show at Roadburn Festival 2023, returns to Tilburg as the first-ever Triennium Artist In Residence for the event. In other words, Lane Shi will perform at the next three editions of the festival (2025/26/27), each time showcasing a different facet of her artistic identity. This year, she will take the stage at the magnificent Next Stage to present the entirety of last year's haunting "True Faith Ain’t Blind", released under the moniker Otay:Onii. Piano, acoustic instruments, "unconventional" melodies, and a multifaceted vocal performance-what more could you ask for from a festival that honors and promotes artistic experimentation in all its forms?

Let’s see now, what else is luring in the shadows for us in its first day.

1

Xiu Xiu (14:00 - 14:50. The Terminal)

Αfter their appearance at Roadburn's Next Stage last year, where they had by far the longest waiting line of all the festival's performances, it became clear that experimental electronic sound, both by Xiu Xiu and in general, has a strong place at the festival. So, as the first performance of the long awaited four days of Roadburn, Xiu Xiu will take their place at the much larger Terminal to smoothly introduce us to the collective madness of Roadburn Festival. In fact, with last year's amazing "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto With Bison Horn Grips" in their luggage, Xiu Xiu are expected to fill our batteries with endless anticipation for everything that will follow.

2

Glassing (15:00-15:40, The Engine Room)

Not long after, in the Engine Room next door, things will get dangerously wild. Wild, like Texas, where Glassing hails from. A surreal combination of post-metal, post-hardcore, screamo and blackgaze sounds is a description capable of framing Glassing's magnificent sound effect, which we duly enjoyed last year in the brilliant "From The Other Side Of The Mirror". As part of their tour with the excellent Great Falls, which we will also have the opportunity to enjoy a few hours later, the Roadburn Festival is the stop that may take them off, just as they took us off.

3

Oranssi Pazuzu (15:30 - 16:30, Main Stage)

The tradition of opening up the main stage with one of the most striking names of the festival is back for one more year, and this time the draw falls on Oranssi Pazuzu. The days when the Finnish masters of blackness left their mark in the now defunct Patronaat may be in the past, but the soul and essence of their music remains intact. We would grab a spot in 013 early, with earplugs at the ready and expectations up to the ceiling, anyway. Given the presentation of last year's monumental "Muuntautuja", anticipation is even higher.

4

Buñuel (16:10 - 17:00, The Terminal)

As they describe their own sound, Buñuel sound like "a difficult situation made worse by an unwillingness and an inability to play nice". How could they do anything else, since the driving force behind the band is Eugene S. Robinson of Oxbow. On the Terminal stage, Buñuel's avant-garde, sweeping noise rock will lift everything in its path, anticipating the powerful presence of their all-powerful album from last year,"Mansuetude", which also includes the track "Fixer" in collaboration with Megan Osztrosits of Couch Slut, who were the big winners of last year's festival, after leaving the entire audience talking with their two performances - do you think we should have any surprises?

5

Kylesa (17.20 - 18:35, Main Stage)

The big comeback. The reunion that was the driving force for this year's Roadburn Festival is none other than the appearance of Kylesa, who are returning to active activity nine years after their hiatus. An appearance that will be the starting point for a European tour that will also stop by our country on May 12th. Their albums, pinnacles of Sludge metal as it was nurtured in the swampy fields of the Georgia scene, will be styled again on stage, reminding us of those moments when we felt our rage tearing us apart with one of Kylesa's dozens of powerful compositions. The headliner that deserves the festival in all its glory on Roadburn's Main Stage.

6

The Body & Dis Fig (19:20 - 20:10 Main Stage)

The Body's sometimes-exhausting noise is perhaps an ideal match for Roadburn Festival. The duo of Lee Buford and Chip King have been creating nightmarish soundscapes for a period long enough to have placed them among the significant forces of sonic extremism. Together with electronic artist Dis Fig, they decided to join forces from their very different atmospheres. This collaboration gave birth to a child named "Orchards Of A Futile Heaven", with elements of industrial and power-electronics resonating in the foreground. This partnership is something that a lover of extreme sound must experience live, and if they can stand it, they should also follow tomorrow’s performance by The Body.

7

The Ex (20:00 - 20:50, Next Stage)

Roadburn Festival has always passionately supported the local scene in Netherlands, and this year’s lineup is of no exception. In the Dutch (and European) ‘80s underground, one of the Dutch bands that left an indelible mark is the iconic The Ex. The historic and influential anarcho-punk outfit-one of the most significant to emerge outside the UK-is set to perform at the renowned festival for the first time, bringing along 45 years of punk-jazz ideology at its core, embodied in a continuously evolving, sonically adventurous, and musically uncompromising journey. Underground legends The Ex, who will also be releasing their new album around that time, are one of the festival’s major additions, representing a perfect balance between a fertile past and an imaginative future.

8

Fire! (20:40 - 21:30, Hall Of Fame)

Here at Rocking.gr, we adore saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and all his projects. Fire! holds a special place in our hearts-the avant-jazz collective consistently proves with each release that they are one of the most adventurous and formidable forces in the contemporary underground jazz-rock scene. Their latest album, "Testament"-the eighth in their career-was recorded with Steve Albini at the helm and served as yet another demanding, ritualistic, and hypnotic study in composition. With that in mind, we are certain that the band’s 40-minute live performance will be an ideal, immersive experience, bridging seemingly disparate audiences under the common banner of fluid sonic experimentation. In short, we’re gearing up for yet another musical adventure from the Swedes!

9

Gilla Band - The early years (22:00-23:00, The Terminal)

The ideal pairing of post-punk and noise-rock by Irish band Gilla Band is a performance that no fan, especially of both genres, should be able to miss. Their dynamic approach, especially in live performances, has written its own kilometers in underground music history. Formerly known as Girl Band and after a very well-placed and justified name change, Gilla Band continue to this day with their angry music. However, some special moments, like that of an appearance at Radburn Festival, it is appropriate to go back to the old days. So let's remember with them what Girl Band and Gilla Band are.

10

Black Curse (22:20 - 23:10, Hall Of Fame)

Suffocating. Rough. Furious. In the sound of Black Curse, there is absolutely no room for atmosphere or twists; not unless these terms may be used to describe a volley of different shades of black. The resumes of the people involved (including bands such as Spectral Voice, Blood Incantation and Khemmis) form only a very abstract version of the real picture. A play through "Burning In Celestial Poison" will make even a critic to lower their gaze. The queue outside Hall Of Fame is essentially a given.